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School | Educational Resources

There is a wealth of interesting and meaningful information on the Virtual Nature School website. The Virtual Nature School was developed early in the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK as a response to the changing early learning landscape. The nonprofit provides resources to early childhood educators in Scotland who are looking to swiftly integrate an outdoor-classroom model into their schools.

Although I am excited to see their presentation of children’s artwork and clear dedication to providing educators with high-quality resources, I quickly devoured much of their podcast series: Inquiry Based Learning with Dr. Claire Warden. And while I think many episodes are worth a lesson, I think that the commentary in the episode, “Naughty,” about language that is no longer used in the early childhood sphere is really impactful.

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A - Virtual Nature School is an innovative, inspiring and engaging approach to help parents support their children aged 3 to 11 with inquiry-based learning inside their home and outside in their garden or local park.

The Virtual Nature School is about building relationships through an online community and establishing some rituals and routines that are being missed during lockdown. At it's heart is an affirming process for children. Open-ended inquiries are explored through each child's individual thinking. There are no right or wrong answers! The children drive the focus of the explorations through their play and inquiries are directed by their interests.
Q - Who is behind Virtual Nature School?
A - It is run by the team at Living Classrooms, a non-profit based in Perthshire, Scotland. Living Classrooms was founded by Dr Claire Warden, an internationally renowned expert in Nature Pedagogy and outdoor play and learning.
Q - How does Virtual Nature School actually work?
A - Every weekday, children enter the virtual classroom to discuss details of that day's inquiry. They go off and explore, either inside their home or outside in the garden or nearby in a park. Later that day they return to the virtual classroom to share their play and learning with their peers from around the world.

This format provides young children and their families a daily routine to follow that is centred on being active and creative, while keeping them connected to their peers. When schools eventually re-open, our nature explorers will have plenty of happy memories of these times and a head full of new knowledge and skills.
Q - What is the structure of a typical day of Virtual Nature School?
1. Enter the virtual classroom at the start time (e.g. 10am) to talk about that day's inquiry.

2. Get off the screen and start investigating - it usually involves getting active and making something!

3. Come back to the virtual classroom and share what you have done and see what others have been working on.

4. We will continue to develop the inquiry over the week to allow children to build on their learning each day and explore aspects that particularly interest them.
Q - Is this suitable for all ages?
A - The learning is child-led and inquiry-based for ages 3 up to 11, so children can participate according to their ability. For group discussions, we sometimes split into groups based on age if we have enough children i.e. ages 3 to 5, 6 to 7 and 8 to 11.
Q - What if I can't make it live or have to miss some days?
A - To get the most out of the learning, it's best to participate in the live virtual sessions and attend all 5 days. Your child will still benefit if they can only attend some days as the inquiries will be recorded and available to watch and practice at a time to suit you and your family.
What you can expect from Virtual Nature School:
*Daily provocations for inquiry-based learning in line with the curriculum.

*Small virtual groups for children to interact with their peers and teachers.

*Free Nature Play Diary to document learning and memories during the period away from school.

*Minimal screen time - share ideas and theories with your friends in the virtual classroom and apply them in real life!

*A worldwide community of nature-loving families and practitioners, sharing and connecting.

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A - Virtual Nature School is an innovative, inspiring and engaging approach to help parents support their children aged 3 to 11 with inquiry-based learning inside their home and outside in their garden or local park. The Virtual Nature School is about building relationships through an online community and establishing some rituals and routines that are being missed during lockdown.

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Art History | Activity Idea

I rarely pass a nature space that doesn’t have a rock stack neatly tucked away on a trail or lakeshore. And while I often pass these artworks with little pause, I am reminded of their ancient art history and significance. Used for equinox celebrations and peaceful meditations, rock stacking is a much a practice in skill and balance, as it is in slowing oneself down, focusing, and moving gently and with intention. There are numerous good resources for getting more information about rock stacking, but I do think that this short video really sets the tone for the work, while mapping out some steps for stacking success.

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Watch This Guy Balance Rocks on Water in the Most Mesmerizing Way | Short Film Showcase

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Site | West St. Paul, MN

As a field trip or Saturday morning outing location, Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul is a fount of natural beauty. I have only visited its main property; however, their website lists multiple sites for exploration. Beyond its grounds, Dodge nature center also houses an outdoor nature-based preschool program, a farm, community gardens, summer camps, and programming for students of all ages. As I peruse their activity listings, I see an incredible range of offerings: pride-based programming for queer youth, forest bathing, foraging, and guided hikes, etc.

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Since 1967, Dodge has been connecting children and adults to nature. With a mission to provide exceptional experiences in nature through environmental education, Dodge Nature Center and Preschool are nationally recognized. Nourish Your Need For Nature™ by joining an upcoming nature experience.

Plan Your Visit

Trails open at Shepard Farm

Dodge Nature Center is proud to bring you a new nature destination in Cottage Grove! Shepard Farm is now open to hike 365 days a year, sunrise to sunset, at no charge.

Located in the heart of Cottage Grove, at 70th St. S. and Jamaica Ave., Shepard offers a setting unique from other Dodge properties. You'll walk amid 100-year-old woods, 1920s-era historic buildings and barns, restored prairie, community gardens, a bee apiary and animal pastures.

Please note: to protect farm animals and wildlife, no dogs or bikes are allowed on the property.

Updates from Dodge

A full slate of nature programs and field trips awaits you at the nature center. Get outdoors as spring sprouts at Dodge!

Trails are open sunrise to sunset at all four properties: Main Property, Lilly Property, Marie Property, and Shepard Farm. We welcome human hikers, but please leave your dogs and bikes at home. This protects wildlife and native landscapes.
The Main Office is closed to the public at this time. Last updated: April 4, 2022

Bring Dodge to you

Bring Dodge to your site

Can't come to Dodge? Let us come to you! Our naturalists can provide the opportunity to learn about nature at your location.

Virtual Learning with Dodge

Explore educational content from Dodge naturalists, including videos featuring many of our animal ambassadors, interactive worksheets, nature coloring pages, blog posts and much more!

Support Dodge

Your donation makes nature education happen.

Questions? Send them this way.

Stay connected to Dodge by joining our mailing list

Dodge Nature Center Main Office

Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

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Search Dodge Nature Center

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Dodge Nature Center | Nourish Your Need For Nature

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Dodge Nature Center is an environmental education organization in Minnesota with 4 metro nature destinations located in West St. Paul, Cottage Grove and Mendota Heights. Founded in 1967 by Olivia Irvine Dodge, the organization was one of the first nature centers in the state of Minnesota.

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Wonder Wednesday 116: Craftivism, Nature, and Equal Rights

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Wonder Wednesday 116: Craftivism, Nature, and Equal Rights

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Blog | Activity Idea

Wings, Worms, and Wonder blog is a fruitful resource for examining the interconnectedness of nature and creativity. Besides her book and physical resource offerings, the author offers consistent activity ideas that tie together nature and art in original ways.

I’ve selected this particular blog post because of the way it ties traditional women’s-based crafting (sewing and embroidery) and gardening to concepts of environmental conservation and activism. She goes onto suggest trying to embroidering on leaves as a connected activity. Because this seems a bit out of reach of my young learners, I could see adapting the project to tying knots around fallen sticks. This supports small motor skills, emergent shoe-tying strategies, and opens the door to conversations surrounding gender roles and feminism in crafting.

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The newest Wings, Worms, and Wonder bookDraw Yourself Back to Nature: Creativity, connection and art-making with the natural worldis the perfect guide for everyone seeking to connect with the nature right outside their door through art

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The newest Wings, Worms, and Wonder bookDraw Yourself Back to Nature: Creativity, connection and art-making with the natural worldis the perfect guide for everyone seeking to connect with the nature right outside their door through art

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Our Approach to Observational Drawing (3-4 yrs)

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Our Approach to Observational Drawing (3-4 yrs)

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Blog | Activity Idea

Although I have never taught in an exclusively Montessori environment, I often referred to this blog when I was deep in lesson planning for my toddler classroom. I appreciate that it’s author provides as much casual commentary on fun projects to try, as they do on the educational backbone that supports each activity.

When I am in need of a low-prep afternoon activity in my classroom, I often lean on observational drawing. It is easy to set out paper, black pens, and a handful of objects on each table for students to draw. With some ambient background music, this activity can support students in resetting after a tricky morning, or winding down the day with limited ruckus. And, as the author of this blog post suggests, observational drawing supports the development of fine-motor skills (pen grip), spatial reasoning, and observational skills.

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Our Approach to Observational Drawing (3-4yrs+)

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Have you tried observational drawing with your children? My three-year-old has been enjoying a lot of observational drawing so I want to share some of my thoughts about it. I want to encourage you, no matter your child’s age, to give it a go. Why try observational drawing? Observational drawing can:…

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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Blog

Although this blog post from NAEYC provides not much more than a “beginner’s guide” to nature work with young students, I see it as one which is approachable and meaningful for those who are just starting their relationship with nature in the classroom. It is a post that I wouldn’t hesitate to share with  colleagues and one which importantly calls for us all to examine the biases we hold toward working with nature. For those of us who might shy away from touching insects or hesitate to try mud painting, it gently encourages the educator to unpack their own relationship with natural materials/dirt/bugs alongside their students. By learning together and modeling brave and positive interactions with nature, students and teachers bond and strengthen their own relationships too.

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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Here, we share 10 tips for finding nature-based objects to prompt curiosity, questioning, observation, and learning.

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Reclaim the Void: Vivienne Robertson and Kado Muir

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Reclaim the Void: Vivienne Robertson and Kado Muir

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Art History | Indigenous Art | Activity Inspiration

I’m flagging this resource as one which I lightly touched earlier this year, but is worth revisiting with more time and dedication. In our classroom, we often work on weaving projects. We use yarn, fabric, and paper weaving on various loom structures both for small-motor work, and discussing color and pattern. Typically, the weaving we do is casual, child-led, and ephemeral (we usually take it apart at the end).

However, I think that building out a conversation surrounding this Australian-based artwork could draw upon a number of important topics. Robertson and Kado, in partnership with Indigenous elders in their community, make round weavings to cover mining holes in the Australian landscape. They work within the Aboriginal community to beautify and reclaim a landscape that has been exploited for mining. This project, Reclaim the Void, is now expansive and provides opportunities to embed conversations about land exploitation, Indigenous land use, and community activism.

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If we're going to do this, we need a lot of rugs! Maybe 5,000 of them, or maybe more!! We hope that people from communities all over Australia, and around the world, will create rugs for the giant artwork, including school children, crafters & makers, people passionate about reconciliation - everyone! We also hope to commission a number of artists to create rugs. We are developing a 'rugalogue' which will catalogue each rug made, and the stories, poems, images and words that the maker may choose to accompany their rug. The final artwork will include the tapestry of stories of all the people who have contributed to it, and will be a story in its own right, of our collective love, respect, and wish to care for country.

This project already has a life beyond any tangible outcome. It's the journey, the story, the healing and symbolic reclaiming, the acknowledgement of careless over-consumption at others' expense, that is central to Reclaim the Void. The concept and intention behind the project is critical. It's a conversation about caring for country and its custodians, and it invites everyone to be part of that through small-scale acts that collectively make something very special.

We're in conversation with a mining company about a site to work with, and have an engineer on board who has drawn up the 'how' of a couple of different options. Kingsley Dixon, specialist in restoration, is also part of our team. This project isn't 'anti-mining', it's about walking forwards together in an act of healing, caring for country and community engagement. One way or another, guided by cultural protocols and the practical possibilities, the final artwork will be brought to life on the country for which it was created - a symbol of hope and healing.

We're thrilled to be partnering with the WA Museum to present an exhibition. Museum CEO Alec Coles says " The WA Museum is delighted to be partnering with Reclaim the Void for a project exhibition at the WA Museum Boola Bardip and the Museum of the Goldfields in late 2023 or early 2024. Reclaim the Void is a bold and culturally significant Australian story, aligned to the Museum's commitment to presenting indigenous voices and exploring issues of identity and place. The Museum looks forward to being involved in the unfolding of this important and courageous project."

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If we're going to do this, we need a lot of rugs! Maybe 5,000 of them, or maybe more!! We hope that people from communities all over Australia, and around the world, will create rugs for the giant artwork, including school children, crafters & makers, people passionate about reconciliation - everyone!

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Art History | Activity Inspiration

The artist team of Tim Noble and Sue Webster are endlessly fascinating and important to conversations about making art from recycled materials. This artist team is based in London, and they arrange recycled objects into sculptures that, when illuminated, create realistic and painstakingly detailed silhouettes.

Particularly as a result of the duo’s interest in light and shadow, I think that bringing images of their work into a Reggio-inspired space presents a unique play opportunity. After introducing their work, I could imagine a lesson in which students create loose-part sculptures that are then illuminated by light tables or flashlights.

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Tim Noble and Sue Webster - Art Works for Change

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Art History | Video

This PBS series focuses on Land Art created in the 1970s, and dives into brief analyses of artworks like Robert Smithson’s, Spiral Jetty. With its more digestible length (11 minutes), this video is a great jumping off point for a day of Eco Art exploring with students of all ages. What I particularly like about its information on Smithson’s enormous work of land art is the way it ties together topics of land use, indigenous art history, and impermanence. It encourages us to use and manipulate land with attention toward responsibility and awareness of the strength of nature and weather.

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The Art Assignment
Season 4 Episode 10 | 11m 26s |

We ventured into the Utah countryside to visit some of the best loved Land Art works of the 1970s, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty and Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels, and check out the art that is happening there now. Also featured: William Lamson's Mineralogy, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, and lots and lots of salt.

Aired: 05/02/18

Rating: NR

From:

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The Art Assignment | Art Trip: Utah | Season 4 | Episode 10

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The Art Assignment Season 4 Episode 10 | 11m 26s | We ventured into the Utah countryside to visit some of the best loved Land Art works of the 1970s, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty and Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels, and check out the art that is happening there now.

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PBS Art21: Ecology (season 4, episode 3)

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PBS Art21: Ecology (season 4, episode 3)

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Art History | Video

This PBS series has served me well throughout my personal arts education and is one I return to again and again with my students. Although the entirety of each episode is quite long (~1 hr), each is packed with 3-4 minute clips that are easy to offer at the beginning or end of a lesson. In this episode, we see the ways that artists interact with natural materials to create large artworks that provide commentary on our environment. With younger students, the first segment, featuring Ursula von Rydingsvard is particularly helpful when considering ways we can work with a manipulate a single material (wood), into so many different artworks.

Because of my own  art history background, I believe in integrating art analysis into my work with kids. Giving them space to think about and explore how we can talk about art builds language and social-emotional skills.

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Featuring Ursula von Rydingsvard, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Robert Adams, and Mark Dion.